Critically acclaimed for his recent bestseller, "The Ax, " Westlake returns with a tale of twisted psychological suspense involving two cunning authors--and one deadly proposition. Mystery grand master Donald Westlake (who also writes under the name Richard Stark) is nothing if not prolific: his publishing career includes juveniles, westerns, and short stories. He is perhaps best known by mystery enthusiasts for his comic crime novels ( Smoke , Baby, Would I Lie? , Trust Me on This ) and his Dortmunder series ( What's the Worst That Could Happen? , Don't Ask , Drowned Hopes ). The Hook , however, moves beyond the machinations and deduction-driven plots of traditional mystery, following the path Westlake spearheaded with The Ax into the twisted labyrinth of psychological suspense. The Hook is a harrowing story, told with a crisp incisiveness, and its riveting central characters are extraordinary: Bryce Proctorr and Wayne Prentice are fascinating, compelling tangles of neuroses and ambitions, both wonderfully drawn. Bryce Proctorr has a multi-million dollar contract for his next novel, a wife who is trying to extract the last pound of flesh (but money will do just as well) from him in an ugly divorce, a fast-approaching deadline, and a serious case of writer's block. Wayne Prentice is an author drifting ghost-like through a world that has forgotten his novels; he's gone through two pseudonyms, has watched his sales plummet, and is wondering whether the academic life might be better than this, all things considered. When the two meet by chance in the New York Library, Proctorr has a proposition: if Prentice will give him his unsold manuscript to publish under Proctorr's name, the two will split the book advance fifty-fifty. But as in all Faustian bargains, there is a significant catch: Wayne must kill Bruce's wife. The murder itself is almost insignificant, a small and sordid endeavor. The novel's real appeal lies in its shadowy reflections of the links between the two protagonists: a bond has been created that neither can break--nor wants to. Westlake cleverly questions the boundaries between actual and vicarious experience, fact and fiction. The novel is strikingly self-referential as it plays with the irony of authors trying to "compose" their own realities: "There are moments in almost any novel when it's necessary to move a character from one point to another, so that you can go on with the story, and this was like that." But what happens when the characters, instead of dutifully obeying the wishes of their creators, strike off on their own in unanticipated and fearful directions? --Kelly Flynn In his latest work, Westlake (The Ax) once again proves himself a master storytelling craftsman. Frustrated by what he sees as outrageous monetary demands from his ex-wife, successful author Bryce Proctorr hires an old acquaintance, Wayne Prentice, to kill her. In a variation on the murder-for-hire theme, Proctorr offers Prentice, also a struggling author, both money and the opportunity to publish under his name. While the arrangement seems ideal for tboth parties, it soon becomes evident that such is not the case. Instead of romanticizing or sensationalizing the murder itself, Westlake brilliantly examines the psychological toll that on every aspect of both men's lives. This is not a comfortable read - there are no heroes to cheer for, and the characters evoke little sympathy. It's a testament to Westlake's ability that, despite this, this reader was unable to put the book down. This should be a popular addition to public library collections. - Craig L. Shufelt, Gladwin Cty. Lib., MI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Westlake's versatility is legend in crime-fiction circles. His last novel, The Ax (1997), was one of his most successful forays into psychological suspense, and his latest plows those same fields with equal distinction. When two writers run into each other in the New York Public Library, a plot is hatched that echoes the devil's bargain in Hitchcock's film Strangers on a Train . Bryce Proctor is a best-selling novelist suffering from writer's block and a bad divorce-in-progress; even if he manages to finish his latest book, his wife will gobble most of the profits. Enter Wayne Prentice, also a novelist and a former friend of Proctor when both were unknown writers. Prentice is unknown again, slipping sales having left him without a publisher. The hook: Proctor will publish Prentice's novel as his own, giving Prentice half the advance ($500,000). One other thing: Prentice must kill Proctor's wife. As the plot turns into reality (though not in the manner either intended), the two writers-turned-killers find themselves joined in an unholy alliance: Will the instability of one of them bring down both? Westlake salts the stew with lots of fascinating publishing shoptalk, and his portrayal of the psychological unraveling of a writer is made all the more chilling by the quiet reali